So, the plan was to rendezvous at Refuge Farm, Pete motoring in from the Great Dismal Swamp, and Mike from his daughter’s outpost in the Terrapin State. We live in such disparate places that regular gatherings of old shipmates are rare, though we bat the great issues of the day around with zest each morning […]

(Syclone at Uncle Dick’s funeral in 2002. The restoration and tires were new then. Photo Socotra) I want to thank Marty McFly and Doc Brown for the automotive theme for the week. I was busy getting ready all day yesterday for the celebration this afternoon. “Back to the Future” Day has finally arrived. It has […]

(Culpeper Tire and Auto on Poor Farm Rd. Photo by Chris the owner). I don’t know if there are more birds of prey down in Culpeper than there used to be or not. My local memory only goes back to 2008. But it certainly seems like there are a lot of hawks and turkey buzzards […]

(The indoor pumpkin. If I leave the seasonal decorations on the porch overnight their flesh will freeze and they will blacken and get mushy. Photo Socotra). I had a hard time getting out of Arlington yesterday. I had to answer several inquiries about what happened Saturdy afternoon in Ann Arbor, and I am stoically not […]

No, I am not talking about the marvelous diner on historic East Davis Street in downtown Culpeper. Though one of their #3 breakfasts might have been good this morning. And I am not going to do a review of the local watering holes there, though that too might be useful I will have to check […]

OK, so we were going to meet up to celebrate The Lovely Bea’s **th birthday at the Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon. Bea’s partner in crime, Placid Jamie had arranged the soiree, but her fiancee’s father was diagnosed with an incurable illness earlier in the day, and they were flying to be with him. When Jon-without […]

(Under the new Social Credit System, what Chinese shoppers purchase will help or hurt individual ratings. Customers shop at a supermarket in Shanghai. Photo Reuters). You have heard me rail about the husband of US Ambassador Samantha Powers before. Birds of a feather and all that- both members of the power couple are archetypes of […]

For lunch yesterday, I went over to the Outback that anchors a unique strip mall that is the heart of the neighborhood. It was constructed as part of the 1930s FHA single-family housing development adjacent to the Buckingham Garden apartments. The complex was created by the legendary building Alley Freed, one of the brain-trusters who […]

No, it will not be the last time I write about the Willow Restaurant. In a way, it is always going to be with us. I got to thinking about it while I was ignoring the Presidential debate last night and watching the Cubbies cement their place in history by winning their first postseason series […]

(My wonderful daughter-in-law and I found ourselves in the middle of the Michigan Marching Band for “Hail to the Victors!) I was exhausted from the weekend travel. When I was invited to the Homecoming Tailgate in Ann Arbor, I thought I would have some income-generating work on Friday and Monday, so I was squeezed into […]